Smiley piercing

A smiley piercing — or lip frenulum piercing — is an oral piercing where jewelry of your choice is inserted into your lip frenulum (labial frenum).

The frenulum is the thin flap of skin that connects your lip to your gum. So, the piercing is visible only when you smile — which is why it's called a smiley piercing. The decoration becomes noticeable if you have a good mood and have cause for fun, which explains the name of a puncture. Positive oral piercing is often chosen because of the ability to change jewerly and experiment with own look. You can try on a vampire’s fangs or have a jeweled ring to look expensive and status-worthy.

Smiley piercing doesn’t suit every person.

You can’t pierce a frenulum if you have braces, have gum disease or infectious oral pathologies. The obstacle to the puncture is the small size of the upper lip frenulum. The master will recommend another version of puncture if your frenulum is not suitable for wearing jewelry. In the absence of proper aftercare, the risk of infection and development of inflammatory diseases of the maxillofacial system increases.

Advantages:

• Emphasizes the beauty of a smile.
  
• Looks unusual and aesthetic.
  
• Invisible until you smile, which may be important under strict dress code in the office.
  
• Easy to change jewerly.

To make the puncture almost invisible, you can wear minimalist decorations and not smile widely. If you are in tough sports, remove jewelry during the training.

Smiley piercing is a kind of body modification that allows you to wear different jewerly to look original every day.

Common options:

• Rings with beads, replaceable beads and other decorative elements.
  
• Horseshoe-shaped rods with protrusions on the ends for a reliable fixation of the decoration.
  
• Rings of concise design without decorative elements.

The decorations for smiley piercing are made from gold, medical steel and titanium. These are hypoallergenic materials that are characterized by chemical inertia and biological compatibility with living tissues. The usage of high-quality jewelry helps to accelerate healing. At the same time, the risk of complications - infection and rejection - is reduced.

Before doing the smiley piercing, the master will treat the area and jewerly with an antiseptic solution.

If you have increased sensitivity to pain stimuli, the master will give you a local anesthetic. The piercer then pulls the upper lip slightly to stretch the frenulum. A sterile needle is used to make the hole. The piercer inserts and fixes the decoration into the hole. The procedure takes 10-15 minutes.

Soft tissue puncture can be accompanied by painful sensations that last a few seconds. Immediately after the procedure, there may be slight bleeding and swelling of the tissues. The mucous membrane regenerates quickly enough. The healing period is about 1-4 months. The duration of healing depends on the individual features of the body and the quality of aftercare.

Proper aftercare for smiley piercing will accelerate tissue healing and prevent inflammation.

It is important to follow the recommendations of the master and use special tools for aftercare. The basic rules are to keep the mouth clean and avoid additional damage to the wound, which can happen if you touch the jewelry. You should carefully brush your teeth to avoid touching piercings. Additional recommendations:

• Do not use aggressive toothpaste to clean your teeth. To prevent bad breath will help soft flavor.
• Rinse your mouth with a special antibacterial rinse after each meal. Rinse liquid should not contain alcohol. The master will pick up special means of care for punctures in the mouth. An alternative option is a solution of sea salt or ordinary salt.
• Do not talk much for 3-5 days after the procedure.
• Do not touch the puncture with tongue or fingers.
• Stop smoking and drinking alcohol.
• Remove from the diet solid, rigid food, the particles of which may additionally traumatize the wound.
• Avoid the use of spicy and acidic products - oranges, tomatoes, sauces.
• Do not chew gum, do not drink drinks through a straw.

During the healing period of smiley piercing better to avoid kissing, which can cause the penetration of pathogenic bacteria into the wound. In case of signs of infection, consult a master or doctor. Warning symptoms:

• Continuous bleeding
  
• Soft tissue edema.
  
• Redness of the mucous membrane in the puncture zone.
  
• Discharge from wound fluid or pus.
  
• Severe Itching.
  
• Bad breath.

After healing the puncture, you can change the jewerly. Before you touch the piercing, you need to wash your hands with soap and disinfect. If you remove the ornament before the wound fully heals, the opening will close. Until you get used to the decoration, there may be problems with articulation and correct pronunciation of words.

It is because of the arrangement of smiley piercing in the mouth increases the risk of complications:

• Rejection of the jewerly. It usually occurs due to the incorrect jewerly that is made of substandard material.
  
• Wound Infection. It happens due to the use of non-sterile tools, violation of sanitary rules during the procedure or during puncture care.
  
• Damage to the mucous membrane of the gums and lips. Sharp-edged decorations may damage soft tissues due to permanent friction.
  
• Tooth enamel damage due to permanent contact with the hard surface of the decoration.

To minimize the risk of complications, choose a reliable salon with a good reputation. The master will perform a puncture in sterile conditions, pick up a jewel that will not cause problems in wearing.